Cotton carding machine



Oct. 31, 1961 J. K. GUNTER COTTON CARDING MACHINE Filed Seifc. 19, 1960 INVENTOR. Jasef If. Gazzir ATTORNEYS United This machine relates to drive means for cotton carding machines, and particularly to an individual drive for a single machine. While the description herein refers specifically to a carding machine, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the drive of the present invention may be employed with other types of machines also.

In general the invention comprises an individual driving means for a cotton card machine, mounted on the machine itself, and adapted to be mounted on existing machines Without any change to the machine structure. In general the invention comprises an electric motor having a driving pulley thereon provided with teeth or the like engageable with complementary projections on a driving beit so as to drive the belt positively and without slippage. The belt is trained over the smooth periphery of the conventional driven pulley on a standard cotton carding machine, the driven pulley of the machine being many times the diameter of the driving pulley on the motor to thus efiect a large speed reduction in a single step without having to resort to line shafts, countershafts, or reduction gearing. For example, the invention has been embodied in a drive employing a driving pulley of approximately 3-inch diameter and a driven pulley of -inch diameter. The drive of the present invention is such that the motor, upon starting, can reach its full operating speed immediately without the necessity of having to accelerate the carding machine up to that speed immediately. The positively driven belt slips on the smooth surfaced driven pulley of the machine on starting and applies a uniform accelerating force to the machine pulley andas soon as the machine is brought up to the desired speed, slippage between the belt and driven pulley stops. The invention includes a novel mounting means for the motor whereby it may be adjusted to variably tension the belt to thereby regulate the rate of acceleration and the accelerating torque applied to the driven pulley.

The invention further contemplates novel bracket and motor supporting structure serving the dual purpose of supporting the motor and functioning as a belt guard to protect personnel from inadvertent engagement with the belt.

The invention further includes the provision of another pulley on the motor drive shaft, on the outer end thereof, which may be selectively connected to drive a stripper roll when it is desired to clean the card. A hinged guard overlies the stripper pulley of the motor at all times when it is not in use. By the use of applicants novel drive means, much more flexibility is permitted in laying out the carding room since the drive means is so designed as to occupy very little additional space and permits location of the machine Without regard to any overhead line shafts or the like and leaves the aisles between machines completely free and unobstructed.

It is therefore an object ofthis invention to provide an individual drive for a carding machine wherein no line shafts, countershafts or reduction gears are employed and which provides for smooth acceleration of the machine from a standstill to operating speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive of the type set forth including a feature of adjustability whereby the starting torque and rate of acceleration of the carding machine may be regulated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an 3,606,035 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 individual drive means for a carding machine occupying a minimum of space and thus providing for more elficient use of available floor space.

A further object of the invention is to provide an individual drive for a carding machine readily adapted for driving a stripper roll without the necessity of changing a great number of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an individual drive for a carding machine that is simple in construction and provides a safety feature wherein it functions as a belt guard to protect operating personnel.

An additional object is to provide an individual drive for a carding machine of the type set forth that is simple in structure, economical to produce, and yet highly efficient and reliable in operation.

Other additional and further objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary end view of a conventional cotton carding machine with the drive means of the present invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an end view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating the drive employed for operating a stripper roll.

In the drawings numeral 2 indicates generally a cotton carding machine of known and conventional construction. Such machines are customarily provided with a driven pulley 4 secured to the main shaft 6 of the machine for operating the same. The pulley 4 is conventionally provided with a smooth peripheral belt-engaging surface and is conventionally driven from an overhead line shaft or the like which customarily serves a plurality of machines. According to the present invention, however, an individual drive is provided for each machine. A bracket structure 8 is fixedly mounted on the frame of the carding machine such as by bolts 16 which may engage openings already present on most such machines. The bracket 8 is provided with a pair of upstanding spaced flange portions 12 and an upright guiding surface 14 (see FIG. 3) and a horizontal guide surface 16 (FIG. 2). An upstanding plate 18 is arranged with its lower edge resting on the guide surface 16 and its inner face slidably abutting the guide surface 14 of bracket 8. The plate 18 is provided with a plurality of horizontally elongated slots 20 in alignment with similar slots 22 in the bracket 8. Bolts 24 are provided for clamping the plate 18 in any desired position of horizontal adjustment, the elongated slots 29 and 22 permitting such adjustment in a direction to move the plate 18 toward or from the axis of the pulley 4. As will be noted from the drawings, the plate 18 extends upwardly in a plane spaced from the end of the machine 2 a distance greater than the driven pulley 4. In other words, the plate 18 is axially outwardly of the pulley 4.

An electric motor 26 is mounted on the outer face of the plate 18 and is a relatively flat type of motor presently available on the market. The plate 18 is provided with an opening 28 therethrough, through which the output shaft 30 of the motor 26 extends. The shaft 30 carries a drive pulley 32 keyed or otherwise secured thereon in radial alignment with the driven pulley 4. The pulley 32 is further provided with longitudinally extending ribs, grooves or the like 34 engageable with corresponding formations 36 on an otherwise fiat drive belt 38 trained thcreover and over the smooth periphery of the driven pulley 4. Drive pulleys and belts of the type described are well known in the art and are commonly referred to as timing belts and/ or pulleys, the belts being conventionally made of rubber or similar elastomeric material. It will be evident that the interlocking engagement between the belt 38 and pulley 32 results in the motor positively driving the belt 38 without slippage. Thus, upon starting the machine, the motor 26 may immediately start running at its full operating speed and drive belt 38 can slip on only the smooth outer periphery of the driven pulley 4 to thus transmit uniform torque to the machine and smoothly accelerate the same up to its desired operating speed. The amount of torque and therefore the rate of acceleration, may be regulated by adjusting the tension in the belt 38. To this end, the upstanding plate 18 is provided with a rearwardly extending member 40, secured thereto at one edge and extending rearwardly past an end of the bracket 8 (see FIG. 3). The member 40 is provided with an opening through which a bolt 42 extends and in which the bolt is rotatable. A head 44 on the bolt 42 bears against the outer face of member 40 and the bolt is provided with a collar 46 fixed thereto and bearing against the inner face of member 40. The bolt extends slidably through an opening in the nearest flange element 12 of bracket 8 and threadedly into a threaded opening in the other flange element 12. Thus the bolts 24 may be loosened and adjusting bolt or screw-42 rotated to effect sliding adjustment of plate 18 in either direction along the surfaces 14 and 16 until the tension of belt 38 is at the desired value. When properly adjusted, the bolts 24 are then tightened and the plate 18 is thus securely clamped in position.

The plate 18 extends laterally toward the machine shaft 6 to such an extent that it actually overlaps or extends past a portion of the periphery of pulley 4 (see FIG. 1) and it extends over the pulley 4 at least to the points of tangency between the belt 38 and pulley 4. Obviously the plate 18 thus functions as a guard for the belt 38 to prevent accidental or inadvertent engagement of foreign objects or personnel between the pulley 4 and belt 38 and eliminates the danger of injury or damage from such causes.

As shown, the plate 18 may be configured to support a suitable starting switch 48 for motor 26 and a reversing switch 50 for the motor. In operating cotton carding machines it sometimes is necessary to reverse the direction of drive to facilitate grinding the cards. The switch 50 thus adapts the present drive for such operation.

The output shaft 30 of motor 26 extends outwardly from both ends of the motor, the pulley 30 being mounted thereon at the inner end. The outer end of shaft 30 is provided with a grooved stripper pulley 52 fixed thereon and the housing of motor 26 hingedly supports a swingable guard 54 arranged to overlie and cover pulley 52 as a guard when the latter is not in use.

In the operation of cotton carding machines it is necessary to frequently strip accumulated fibers and other foreign matter from the cards. For this purpose the machines come equipped with stripper rolls that may be mounted on the machine for the purpose of cleaning or stripping the card cylinder of undesirable matter. A drive pulley is also provided with the stripper roll and such a pulley is shown at 56 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The dimensions and mounting of the motor 26 and stripper pulley 52 are such that the pulley 52 is in radial alignment with the stripper roll drive pulley 56. FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the stripper pulley 52 is employed to operate the stripper roll. For this purpose the hinged guard 54 is swung to the open position as shown in FIG. 4 and a suitable reversing drive belt 58 is trained over the pulleys'52 and 56. Then, upon operating the motor 26 in a forward direction, the stripper roll is driven in a reverse direction to clean the machine. When cleaning is completed, the belt 58 may be removed, guard 54 swung to'the closed position, and the carding machine again operated to perform its intended functions. Preferably, the guard 54 is provided with a suitable spring latch or 3 clip to hold it in the closed position of FIG. 2 but such means are not shown in the drawings.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it is'to be understood that the same is merely illustrative, that other forms may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A drive for a machine having a relatively large driven pulley for actuating said machine at one end thereof, said driven pulley having a smooth peripheral beltengaging surface; said drive comprising a bracket adjacent said pulley, an electric motor mounted on said bracket and having a relatively small driving pulley thereon in radial alignment with said driven pulley, an integral endless driving belt of flexible elastomeric material trained around said driving and driven pulleys, said belt and said driving pulley having interengaging transverse ribs so that said motor positively drives said belt without slippage and wherein only the crests of said ribs bear on said surface of said driven pulley whereby said belt may slip on only the smooth peripheral surface of said driven pulley, upon starting said machine, to smoothly accelerate said driven pulley with said electric motor running at substantially full speed.

2. A drive for a machine having a relatively large driven pulley for actuating said machine at one end thereof, said driven pulley having a smooth peripheral beltengaging surface; said drive comprising a bracket adjacent said pulley, an electric motor mounted on said bracket and having a relatively small driving pulley thereon in radial alignment with said driven pulley, an integral nonmetallic driving belt trained around said driving and driven pulleys, said belt and said driving pulley having interengaging transverse ribs so that said motor positively drives said belt without slippage whereby said belt may slip on only the smooth peripheral surface of said driven pulley, upon starting said machine, to smoothly accelerate said driven pulley with said electric motor running at substantially full speed, an upright plate spaced outwardly of said end farther than said driven pulley, said electric motor being a relatively flat motor and mounted on the outer face of said plate, said motor having an output shaft extendinginwardly through said plate and said driving pulley being fixed to said shaft inwardly of said plate, said bracket having a guiding portion thereon, a portion of said plate slidably abutting a guide surface on said guide portion, means for sliding said plate along said guide surface in a direction radially toward or from said driven pulley, and means for clamping said plate to said guide surface in any selected position of adjustment.

3. A drive for a machine having a relatively large driven pulley for actuating said machine at one end thereof, said driven pulley having a smooth peripheral belt-engaging surface; said drive comprising a bracket adjacent said pulley, an electric motor mounted on saidbracket and having a relatively small driving pulley thereon in radial alignment with said driven pulley, an integral non-metallic driving belt trained around said driving and driven pulleys, said belt and said driving pulley having interengagng transverse ribs so that said motor positively drives said belt without slippage whereby said belt may slip on only the smooth peripheral surface of said driven pulley, upon starting said machine, to smoothly accelerate said driven pulley with said electric motor running at substantially full speed, an upright plate mounted on said bracket and spaced outwardly of said end farther than said driven pulley, said electric motor being a relatively flat motor and mounted on the outer face of said plate, said motor having an output shaft extending inwardly through said plate and said driving pulley being fixed to said shaft inwardly of said plate, said plate extending toward the axis of said driven pulley and past the periphery of said driven pulley a sufficient distance to serve as a guard for said belt at least .to its points of tangency with .said driven pulley.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent 6 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 5, 1926 Great Britain July 31, 1930 Great Britain Apr. 5, 1935 France Aug. 4, 1930 

